💡 Why it matters: Films, series, theatre, games and adverts all need actors, and streaming has increased the amount of content being made. It is a very competitive career, so most actors also do other work and keep training.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs for actors are projected to show little or no change from 2025 to 2035 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦300k – ₦1.5M
- Mid-career
- ₦1.5M – ₦6M
- Senior
- ₦6M – ₦25M
≈ ₦125k – ₦500k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Indicative mid-career range (our estimate, not yet checked against an official source). Incusim estimate
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles (hourly wages x 2,080 hours). US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Learn lines and study the character you are playing
- Audition for roles, often many times
- Rehearse with directors and other actors
- Perform on stage, on camera or by voice
- Keep fit and keep training your voice and body
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Performance and emotion
- Memory
- Resilience
- Teamwork
- Voice and movement
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Join drama groups and theatre companies
- Film school workshops and short acting courses
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Youth theatre and drama groups
- Start with small roles, adverts or extra work and build a showreel
🇺🇸 United States
- School and community theatre
- Build a headshot and showreel, then audition for local and online roles
🇨🇦 Canada
- Theatre schools and acting conservatories
- Community theatre, then audition for film and TV through an agent
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Join school plays, drama clubs or youth theatre
- 2Study drama or take acting classes
- 3Build a showreel and a headshot and find an agent or casting platform
- 4Audition and take small roles in theatre, adverts and screen projects
- 5Build a track record and move into larger roles, or into directing and teaching
⏰ A day in the life
You start with voice and movement warm-ups, then rehearse a scene with your cast and try it a new way after the director's notes. In the afternoon you submit a self-recorded audition and learn tomorrow's lines. Most actors also work another job between roles, and you are no different.